Monday November 9th 2026
Eyemouth Primary School
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
Go-head for funding a new £23.3m Eyemouth Primary School brings “hope and joyful expectation”, councillors have been told.
Members of Scottish Borders Council were informed that a planning application for the new school is to be submitted by March next year.
The aim is that construction would begin in October 2027 with completion one year later.
Once building work is complete the existing school and hall will be demolished.
Back in September the wishes of the overwhelming majority of the school community won the day when SBC abandoned plans to relocate pupils into the town’s High School.
Instead it was agreed to build a new standalone primary school with early years and family centre provision on or aligned to the existing primary school site in Coldingham Road.
At full council members were told that current capital provision available for the project is £14.3m after costs already incurred.
On the latest estimate, the additional capital requirement is therefore £8.8m.
Councillor Julie Pirone, SBC’s Executive Member for Education, Youth Development and Lifelong Learning, said: “You will all note the costs we have to find for a new standalone school, but I want to assure parents that we will continue to push for that additional £8.8m.
“Eyemouth has been waiting a very long time for the school and I want to assure parents and the children that will be using it that they will get a school they can all be very proud of.”
East Berwickshire Conservative councillor Carol Hamilton added: “I really hope that this paper brings hope and joyful expectation to the families of Eyemouth and the surrounding communities, they have worked hard to help us with this project.
“The paper comes with a health warning, the funding is not complete and it will mean there will be some other focus for this council that may take longer down the track, but I ask my colleagues that it is time for Eyemouth, they have waited a very long time.”
Council approved a revised project budget of £23.3m excluding VAT which includes demolition works, risk, inflation, fees, and client direct costs.
It also agreed to reprioritise and accelerate capital provision across the relevant financial years to meet the additional £8.8m capital requirement.
It was noted that this reprioritisation will reduce the council’s capacity to commence other new capital investment.
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